You can hide your online gambling transactions from everyone by using a VPN, depositing gambling funds with alternative payment options, withdrawing your earnings into anonymous accounts, using a proxy server, or browsing gambling websites privately.
However, these reliable methods also come with shortcomings.
So, you’ll need to understand what each technique can hide and what it can’t.
Thus, I recommend reading to know how each method works, what it hides, and which methods to combine.
11 Ways to Hide Your Online Gambling Transactions
I curated and tested 11 ways to hide your gambling transactions from your ISPs, employers, banks, school, and anyone who might have physical access to your computer(s). Let’s discuss!
Method 1 – Use a VPN
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) hides your online gambling transactions from your Internet Service Provider (ISP), employer, school, and other network admins by encrypting the traffic you send to the gambling platform.
Thus, anyone outside the network doesn’t see which websites you visit.
VPNs also scramble your data and make your live traffic impossible to hack.
That way, anyone interested in what you’re doing online will never see the details of your internet activity.
However, not all VPNs are great for hiding your online gambling transactions.
So, look at the criteria below to choose the best VPN for gambling.
| Who/What a VPN Hides You From? | What a VPN Hides? | What Doesn't a VPN Hide? |
|---|---|---|
| ISP | IP Address of gambling computer (ties into your identity) | Gambling account details (name, address, email, etc.) |
| Network admins | Websites you visit | Device history |
| School | Internet activity | Search history |
| Employer | - | Cookies and cache |
| The government | - | Payment history |
Best Combination: VPNs + Anonymous payment methods (discussed below).
How to Choose a VPN for Online Gambling?
The best VPNs for online gambling provide top-notch security, privacy, and speed across multiple VPN server locations. Below, I detailed why each criterion is important to your online gambling privacy.
Encryption
It’s non-negotiable that your VPN should use AES 256-bit encryption.
This industry-standard encryption level prevents hacking of your live traffic and doesn’t leak data out of the encryption tunnel.
Also, ensure your VPN offers this level of encryption on all servers and protocols. Thus, you’re always protected.
Fortunately, ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Surfshark have reliable encryption.
That’s why they’re the top 3 VPNs I use to place bets on bet365, 888 Poker, and other online casinos.
Obfuscation
You need a VPN with obfuscation to:
- Bypass traffic blocks to online gambling websites.
- Surf online browsing websites without letting anyone know you’re using a VPN.
Since obfuscation makes it almost impossible for your ISP to know you’re using a VPN, you don’t set off VPN traffic blocks.
However, obfuscation causes a significant speed drop. That might affect the speed of placing bets and make you lose some crucial ones.
Thankfully, ExpressVPN offers ultra-fast obfuscation on all servers and protocols.
Kill Switch
The kill switch terminates internet transmissions to the online gambling website if your VPN connection drops. This is important to ensure:
- You don’t leak IP/DNS details whenever the VPN loses a remote server connection.
- You’re not deanonymized on the internet by your ISP, the government, employer, or school because you lost your VPN connection for a second.
- The online gambling sites you visit aren’t leaked to network admins or anyone monitoring your traffic.
You’ll find reliable kill switches in the NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark PC and Android apps. Only Surfshark has the option in its iOS app settings.
In contrast, NordVPN and ExpressVPN have it built into the iOS app.
Privacy
Your VPN for gambling should NEVER be located in a region that’s against gambling, has strong data retention laws, or is highly data invasive.
Otherwise, your government may impose on the VPN provider to collect and submit data on your online activities.
Speaking of, you should also never choose a VPN that logs your data.
This way, your online gambling tracks are wiped off its servers as it’s happening.
Even if those servers are hacked, there’s nothing to find on them.
So far, only Surfshark has given me concerns when gambling online since it’s based in the Netherlands, a 14 Eyes country. However, since it was audited for its no-logs claims by Cure53, I’ve had more trust in it.
Also, ExpressVPN and NordVPN have been audited and are based in the British Virgin Islands and Panama, respectively. So, you don’t have any privacy woes to worry about.
Speed
You need a fast VPN to:
- Minimize the connection drop that happens when you connect to a VPN.
- Beat throttling from your ISP to get faster speeds.
- Place bets faster and minimize chances of losing out due to a slow connection.
Knowing that VPNs cause a connection drop because of their encryption, I tested different gambling VPNs optimized for speed.
Of these, ExpressVPN and NordVPN are the best. I’ll always choose ExpressVPN, considering it offers fast obfuscation (referenced above).
Server Locations
Check the server locations provided by a VPN BEFORE you pay for it.
Online gambling is banned in some regions. Thus, you must connect to a supported server location to unblock gambling sites.
Otherwise, you lose access to the betting platform. You may even get an account ban/suspension if you log in from an out-of-market server location.
Thankfully, my top 3 VPNs for gambling have extensive server counts in numerous countries, as you can see in the table below.
| VPN Provider | Server Count | Country Reach |
|---|---|---|
| ExpressVPN | 3000+ | 94 |
| NordVPN | 5500+ | 59 |
| Surfshark | 3200+ | 95 |
How to Setup a VPN to Hide Online Gambling?
You can set up a VPN to hide online gambling by enabling the kill switch, choosing the correct VPN protocol, and connecting to a supported server location.
I recommend ExpressVPN as a preferred gambling VPN and its Lightway protocol for speed, security, and obfuscation.
Here’s how to get started:
- Buy an ExpressVPN subscription.
- Download the app (PC or mobile) and log in with your credentials.
- Click the three horizontal dots to open the country list.
- Search for a supported region for your preferred gambling website. I’ll choose New Jersey for this example.
- Double click the server location.
- Wait for a connection confirmation.
Once you’re done, test for leaks to know you’re browsing from the VPN-assigned IP address. Here’s how:
- With the VPN connected, go to ipleak.net.
- Wait for the test to run.
- Confirm that the displayed IP address is your VPN-assigned IP.
Fortunately, I’ve never had IP/DNS/WebRTC leaks with ExpressVPN.
Method 2 – Use a Proxy
Proxy servers are great for hiding gambling transactions from your network admins, ISPs, employer, or school by sending your traffic over servers with a different IP address. However, proxy servers are sometimes unreliable and may leak your data.
In fact, even the best proxy servers don’t fully encrypt your connection.
So, an ISP, employer, or network admin that knows what they’re doing can still find your actual IP address and tie the online gambling activity back to you.
Proxy servers often have difficulty unblocking access to online gambling websites, too. Anonymous proxies don’t fare any better either and may earn an account ban.
Furthermore, proxies DO COLLECT LOGS of everything you do online.
That includes:
- The gambling websites you visit.
- How long you spend on the website.
- Data on accessed
- Data on payment activities.
On top of that, you usually don’t know who’s in charge of the proxy server.
So, there’s no telling what they do with the sensitive information they collect.
Thus, it’s best to use a reliable VPN instead.
| Who/What Proxy Servers Hide You From? | What Does a Proxy Server Hide? | What Doesn’t a Proxy Server Hide? |
|---|---|---|
| ISP | IP address (except transparent proxy) | All IP address data |
| Employer | DNS (except transparent proxy) | Websites you visit |
| School | Internet activity data | |
| Network admin | Transaction history |
Best Combination: Proxy servers + anonymous payment platforms to hide financials.
Method 3 – Pay With PayPal
Making your online gambling deposits with PayPal keeps your activities away from your banking institutions and anyone with access to your bank statements.
So, this is an acceptable way to ensure your bank doesn’t consider your gambling activities before granting you a loan or approving your mortgage.
It’s also an excellent way to keep your gambling activity away from a partner or anyone with joint account access.
Here’s how to use PayPal to hide your gambling activities:
- Look for an online gambling platform that supports PayPal.
- Fund your PayPal account from your linked bank account.
- Link your PayPal account to the online gambling account.
- Deposit funds into the online betting platform with your PayPal account.
Your account statement at the end of the month only shows a PayPal transaction, stating nothing of the details of where the money went.
PS: You can also withdraw your winnings into your private PayPal account and then your bank account. That creates a layer between the online gambling platform and your bank. So, the transaction only shows up as a PayPal transaction in your bank.
| Who/What PayPal Hides You From? | What Does PayPal Hide? | What Doesn’t PayPal Hide? |
|---|---|---|
| Banks | Deposit destination | Payments above $10,000 |
| Account statement | Credit sources | Check its ToS |
| Credit institutions | Online gambling traffic | |
| Device and search history on gambling |
Best Combination: VPN to hide your online gambling traffic after depositing with PayPal.
Method 4 – Pay With e-Wallets
PayPal may be one of the most popular e-wallets, but it’s not the only one.
So, check if your preferred online gambling platform supports other e-wallets.
Neteller, Skrill, MoneyGram, and Wise are the most popular options.
There are a ton of others out there too.
Like PayPal, these e-wallets will insulate your bank from your money flow.
Thus, the banks can’t see what the money you send into your e-wallets does.
However, never use an e-wallet supported or sponsored by a bank.
It’s not far-fetched to think that banks also have access to that e-wallet’s data.
Since it’s linked to your main account, it’s easier for them to determine you were gambling with the money.
| Who/What E-Wallets Hide You From? | What Do E-Wallets Hide? | What Doesn’t E-Wallets Hide? |
|---|---|---|
| Banks | Deposit destination | Check its ToS |
| Account statement | Credit sources | Online gambling traffic |
| Credit institutions | Device and search history on gambling |
Best Combination: e-Wallet + VPN to hide your internet traffic.
Method 5 – Pay With Crypto
Cryptocurrency provides an anonymous payment source to withdraw from and deposit money into online crypto casino accounts. While not all platforms support crypto yet, crypto casinos offer a higher level of privacy than you get with PayPal and other e-wallets.
That’s because:
- Crypto doesn’t use conventional transaction receipts, which you still get with PayPal and e-wallets.
- Crypto doesn’t need you to set up an account with your real name, address, etc.
- P2P crypto transactions make it possible to buy and deposit crypto without conducting any KYC, which puts your data on file.
- Payment is made via long address strings, making it impossible to decipher where the money is going.
| Who/What Crypto Hides You From? | What Do Crypto Payments Hide? | What Doesn’t Crypto Payments Hide? |
|---|---|---|
| Banks | Deposit destination | How much you're sending (by checking the address on the blockchain) |
| Account statement | Credit sources | How much you’re receiving |
| Credit institutions | Transaction narration |
Best Combination: VPNs to encrypt your internet traffic + Crypto payments.
Method 6 – Pay With Prepaid Debit Cards
Prepaid debit cards can be pre-funded and used on online gambling platforms that mainly support card transactions. This way, you avoid using your credit cards which reflect the gambling deposits on your bank statement.
Also, ensure you’re not getting a prepaid debit card linked to your main bank account. Still, you can fund the prepaid debit card from your bank account or credit card and not worry about them seeing where the money ends up.
PS: If the gambling website supports withdrawals onto your prepaid cards, you can also choose that option to reduce what your bank sees.
| Who/What Prepaid Cards Hide From? | What Do Prepaid Cards Payments Hide? | What Doesn’t Prepaid Cards Payments Hide? |
|---|---|---|
| Banks | Deposit destination | Transaction history (visible to the card issuer) |
| Account statement | Credit sources | Online gambling traffic |
| Credit institutions | Device and search history on gambling |
Best Combination: Prepaid cards + VPN to keep your online gambling secret from your ISP, school, and employer.
Method 7 – Pay With Cash
Cash is the best way to pay for online betting transactions.
However, this option is greatly limited since betting, and gambling websites don’t often get a license to operate in the US.
Luckily, some popular platforms like DraftKings and FanDuel have retail outlets for cash payments in supported US states.
This method relies on being in the states where gambling is legal in the US (or abroad). Your preferred betting platform should also have a retail outlet in those areas.
In most cases where you can deposit cash, you can also make cash withdrawals. However, check the gambling platform’s ToS for the maximum cash payout you can take before they have to report the transaction to the government.
In that case, you can stagger your withdrawals.
| Who/What Does Cash Hide You From? | What Do Cash Payments Hide? | What Doesn’t Cash Payments Hide? |
|---|---|---|
| Banks | Deposit destination | Anyone you tell |
| Account statement | Credit sources | Deposits above specific amounts*** |
| Credit institutions | Transaction history | Online gambling traffic |
| Device and search history on gambling |
*** This is to prevent money laundering.
Best Combination: Cash payments + A VPN app to hide online gambling traffic from your ISP, school, and employer.
Method 8 – Use Online Vouchers/Gift Cards
Online vouchers and gift cards are anonymous ways to deposit into your online gambling account and keep the gambling transaction hidden from your bank or other essential credit institutions.
Platforms like BetMGM and FanDuel may also provide vouchers on special occasions. Others may allow you to purchase the voucher outright for later use.
When you can’t find a voucher or use popular gift cards (like Amazon and iTunes), check for card-issuer gift card support (like the Visa gift card).
However, it’s impossible to withdraw your winnings into a voucher or gift card.
So, you’ll have to combine this method with another listed withdrawal solution.
PS: Check if your preferred gambling service offers withdrawals via popular gift cards. You can redeem those for money.
| Who/What Vouchers & Gift Cards Hide You From? | What Do Vouchers & Gift Card Payments Hide? | What Don't Vouchers & Gift Card Payments Hide? |
|---|---|---|
| Banks | Deposit destination | Withdrawals |
| Account statement | Online gambling traffic | |
| Credit institutions | Device and search history on gambling |
Best Combination: Vouchers/Gift cards + VPN to hide gambling from your ISP and government.
Method 9 – Use Western Union
I separated Western Union from e-wallets because it gives you the advantages of an e-wallet and cash payment in one.
It’s also the best bet for online gamblers who want to avoid banking institutions for withdrawals and deposits.
So, all you have to do is:
- Find an online betting platform that supports Western Union.
- Find the nearest Western Union outlet.
- Pay into your online gambling account from the outlet.
There may also be an option to withdraw your earnings in cash at the Western Union stand. Still, check to see what transaction limits WU has to report to the government and stagger your payments below that threshold.
Also, Western Union will hide the payment, but it won’t hide your online activity.
Thus, it’s best to combine this step with a VPN.
| Who/What Western Union Hides You From? | What Does Western Union Hide? | What Doesn’t Western Union Hide? |
|---|---|---|
| Banks | Your (payers) identify | Payments above AUD10,000 |
| Account statement | Transaction trail | Online gambling traffic |
| Credit institutions | Withdrawals | Device and search history on gambling |
Best Combination: A VPN + Western Union.
Method 10 – Use Incognito Mode
Incognito mode isn’t sufficient to hide online gambling activities.
However, it’s essential to hide gambling entries on the device and search history – for example, from your partner, school, guardians, employer, or anyone with physical access to your computer.
Likewise, it’s a fail-safe against forgetting to clear your device’s history, cache, and cookies after every online gambling session.
| Who/What Incognito Mode Hides From? | What Does Incognito Mode Hide? | What Doesn’t Incognito Mode Hide? |
|---|---|---|
| Anyone with physical access to your computer | Gambling websites you used | Payments made from bank accounts |
| Gambling websites you searched for | Online gambling traffic from network admins and ISP |
Best Combination: Incognito Mode + A VPN to hide your online gambling traffic + Anonymous payments method to hide your financials.
Method 11 – Create a Separate Bank Account
Creating a separate bank account keeps your bank aware of your online gambling activities since that’s where you pay from and withdraw. However, it gives you privacy from:
- Partners, friends, or family who only know about your main bank account.
- Your main bank, who can’t use that data against you when granting loans and mortgages.
Thus, it’s best to open a second bank account with a bank you can afford to cut ties with.
Still, a separate bank account doesn’t hide your online gambling activity from anyone who checks your computer or ISP. So, check the best combination here to hide everything.
| Who/What Separate Bank Accounts Hide From? | What Do Separate Bank Accounts Hide? | What Doesn’t Separate Bank Accounts Hide? |
|---|---|---|
| Anyone with access to your main account | Deposits and withdrawals | Device online gambling history |
| Your primary bank | Online gambling traffic from network admins and ISP |
Best Combination: VPN + Incognito mode/manually clear your online gambling device history.
How to Hide Online Gambling Winnings?
You can hide your online gambling winnings from family, friends, and banks by depositing into PayPal/e-wallets or withdrawing into Western Union.
However, these platforms legally must disclose earnings above $10,000 to the government. So, the best way to hide significant winnings from the government, IRS, and other authorities is to deposit the payment in a foreign account.
Even so, transactions to foreign accounts may be traced if the US (or your country) has jurisdiction in the country where you opened your foreign account.
Also, ensure the online gambling platform can’t be subpoenaed to disclose your transaction details.
Ideally, the best way to hide your gambling winnings would be to withdraw the funds to crypto first, then move to any foreign bank account or leave it in crypto.
Finally, it’s best to check your local laws around hiding gambling winnings like this and find ways around any legal bottlenecks. Otherwise, you may be charged with evading taxes or other crimes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Gambling Affect Credit Rating?
Gambling online doesn’t affect your credit rating. Still, the transactions are used by bankers and other credit institutions to rate your creditworthiness for loans, mortgages, and other relevant applications.
So, while it won’t impact your credit score, it might affect the rate at which financial institutions trust you enough to grant your credit applications.
Does Gambling Affect Mortgage Application?
Gambling activities make banks wary of granting you mortgages since they’re concerned you might be a risk. This isn’t due to your behavior but a pattern of behavioral data observed from other gamblers.
Even when they finally approve, you might have to deal with a higher payment than if you didn’t have any gambling-related activities on your account.
Do Banks Check if You Gamble?
Banks check for past financial patterns and behaviors, including gambling, when deciding your credit applications or what products to offer you.
If you paid via the banks, they could easily trace your transactions to known gambling platforms to determine where you’ve spent some of your money and free time, too.
Do Banks Allow Online Gambling?
Banks allow you to do as you please with your money, including online gambling. However, you can modify your bank account to block online gambling transactions, so you’re not tempted to play on these sites.
Furthermore, banks monitor your online gambling activity, which may affect your chances of getting a loan or securing a mortgage.
What Happens if You Gamble With a VPN?
Gambling with a VPN helps hide gambling transactions from your ISP, employer, school, or network admins. However, you can’t hide gambling transactions from banks with a VPN.
Likewise, ensure you connect to a supported server location and don’t try to game the gambling site with a VPN. Otherwise, you may get a betting account ban and lose your online casino winnings.
Can Online Gambling Sites Detect VPN?
Online gambling sites can detect free VPNs, and may also notice your paid VPN activity if you’re hopping servers frequently, don’t use a kill switch, or you’re trying to manipulate the system with a VPN.
However, most online casinos won’t care that you use a VPN as long as you follow the rules, gamble online from a supported location, and don’t hop through too many servers.
Can You Hide Online Gambling Transactions With a Free VPN?
You can’t hide online gambling transactions with a free VPN due to a lack of proper encryption.
Free VPNs are also notorious for leaking your IP address and will log your online data. Thus, they’re dangerous to your online privacy and sensitive financial data.
It’s best to choose reliable VPNs like ExpressVPN. Where cost is an issue, protect your online gambling with the affordable NordVPN.
Gamble Securely and Privately
You shouldn’t be judged by a bank, school, employer, or anyone else because of how you like to spend your free time. Thus, I’m sure you’ll get your online privacy back to gamble anonymously with any recommended methods.
As you already know, most methods rely on a VPN combination.
So, I’ll recommend ExpressVPN for its value offering while helping you regain your online privacy.
Grab these ExpressVPN discounts to save on your plan and get a 30-day risk-free money-back guarantee on the VPN.
